On the 366th (and Final!) Day of the Year

Daily Photo: A wise-looking gargoyle,
as seen yesterday on W. 110th St.

The last day of December has arrived! I'm pretty pleased with myself for having accomplished the short-term goal of writing a post (w/photo) each day this month. Thanks to the December Photo Project for providing the motivational structure I needed to get back to writing regularly.

The last day of the year has arrived! Can't say I'm sorry to see this year end; it was a rough ride. I'll be spending some time with my journal and planner tomorrow, reviewing the year's happenings, reflecting and ruminating, then looking ahead. Armed with purple mascara, supportive friends, and maybe a bottle of whiskey, I'm ready to start over with 2009. Because...it's going to be fine. Maybe even sublime. Dare I say 'divine'? I hope to shine. And drink some wine. Look for the Sign. Grow more refined. And many other things that rhyme, as well.

My psalm for this year (the big 3-1) says to "Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord." So let's all do that, yes? Be strong, take heart, and hope in the Lord.

And here's to a New Year! 2008: don't let the door hit you on the way out.

On the First Day of the Rest of My Life

Daily Photo A: Happy Feet
Daily Photo B: Bye, Bye NYC

Daily Photo C: MZB helps with dessert!

Tough day, my birthday. Gotta tell ya - not my favorite day of the year. My main goal, most years, is to get through it without crying. Most years I don't exactly make my goal. Today was no exception. But despite some occassional tears, there were also some bright spots, and as I believe my intention this month was to focus on any and all bright spots, here's a quick review:
* Pulling my prized possession - those pretty, pretty skates (aren't they pretty!?) - out from the back of my closet and letting them see the light of day. My time at the rink this morning was unfortunately limited, but in the little time I got out there, I was a star on ice. At least in my own mind. And that's what counts, right?
* Meeting up with BethE for a sweet time spent over streudel and coffee in the shadowy corners of the Hungarian Pastry Shop.
* Funny/ weird/ happy/ thoughtful voicemails throughout the day. Plus mad love on Facebook. Plus cards in the mail. Loved my birthday greetings - thanks, friends!
* Showing up in Boston to be surrounded by dear, dear friends at one of my favorite restaurants in the old 'hood. Stress dissipates just to look at these folks. (And when this one laughs, I laugh too, no matter what she's saying. She's just got that way about her.) Catching up on latest happenings, reliving SNL sketches, getting carded by the waitress (bless her heart), sharing that ginormous Charles River Pie with MZB, talking 'bout who knows who who knows Al Pacino, and playing unintentional games of Telephone ("He kisses like an octopus?" "...No.") Thanks Boston family for meeting me where I am, remembering where I've been, and having faith in my future! Love you lots.

On the Last Monday of The Year


I forgot to take you a picture when I was out and about today, so I'm showing you a slice of life in my chilly little Brooklyn bungalow.*

This here is one of the lamps in my Ugly Lamp Collection. It was the first ugly lamp that I acquired. It has a twin, too - identical down to the plastic fluted shade and the missing left hand of the seated cavalier** fellow. The other prized possessions in my collection include the previously-discussed Buddha lamp, as well as a replica of the infamous leg lamp from The Christmas Story movie.

Yes, folks, I am a lucky girl.


*Note: I do not, in fact, live in a bungalow. But I really like alliteration. And it's almost my birthday. So just let me have this one, ok?

**Note: I do not, in fact, know if this figurine is a cavalier. He appears to be wearing knee socks, a tri-cornered hat, and looks like he knows his way around a minuette. Both the fellow and the lady figurines remind me of the Dueling Cavalier costumes from Singin' In the Rain, so I went with "cavalier." Plus, I went to UVA*** so I'm partial to cavaliers.

***Go Cavs!

On the Twenty-Eighth Day of December

Daily Photo: This classy decor has been hanging
outside my window since October 30th

I'm back in Brooklyn now, staring out the window at these tinsel-y lights. It was good to go home, and it was good to come back. As my bus approached Manhattan this evening, and as I caught that first glimpse of the Empire State Building, glowing red-and-green and blue-and-white for the holidays, I was reminded of something I read recently. In his family memoir, Sweet and Low, Rich Cohen writes about leaving the city:

"Whenever I see Manhattan going away, I say, Thank God I got out of that alive! Whenever I return, I say, Thank God they let me back in."

I can relate. Each time I journey away from this island, I feel a sense of relief. Ok, now I can breathe. Now I can get some perspective. And each time I return, I find myself eager to catch that first glimpse of skyline, relieved to be getting back to it, wondering how I could have wanted to get away from it in the first place.

On the 362nd Day of This Year

I wasn't quite sure what to tell you about my day today. I spent some time on the treadmill, some time shopping for curtains, some time watching Slumdog Millionaire (go see it!), and some time working on the infamous Pope, then some time catching up with an old friend over dinner. I also spent some time playing those piano keys you see pictured above. Playing that piano is always a highlight of a trip home for me. (Yes, yes, Mom & Dad - you are highlights as well.)

As long as we're talking about music, let us note that Radio City Music Hall opened on this day, December 27th, back in 1932! It is one of my favorite venues in New York. Every time I catch a glimpse of its neon sign, around a corner or down an avenue, I get a little excited all over again that I live in the city. Home of Radio City Music Hall! I aspire to be every bit as glittering, classy, and Art Deco-ful as RCMH.

I've been fortunate to have seen some fantastic shows there (Frank, the Rockettes, and one Swell concert). The latter two of those shows I saw with a Ms. KT, who is also celebrating a birthday today. Happy Birthday, RCMH & KT!

On the First Day of Boxing Day

Daily Photo*: Busy in the kitchen

I learned a very important lesson today: chopping chocolate = way more fun than chopping onions. I took this newly acquired knowledge and turned it into a kick-a** dark chocolate tart with gingersnap crust. And nothing was ever the same again...


*Apologies for the recent crappy camera phone pics. Haven't yet been able to get my camera to cooperate with my parents' computer here at home.

On the Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas...


...my little brother gave to me: a bread-box sized wire-and-mesh replica of the White House. Suggestions as to what I am supposed to do with said present are much appreciated.

On the Twenty-Fourth Day of Christmas

Here we are folks, Christmas Eve. My favorite! So far it's been a good day of breakfasting with college friends, last-minute shopping, cookie sampling, visiting with neighbors, piano playing, eating our family's traditional Taiwanese/ Polish fusion Christmas Eve dinner, and catching up with a childhood friend over prosecco. Still on deck: some present-wrapping, church-going and maybe a little more of the holiday movie marathon.

Tomorrow I will get to the bottom of this mysterious, misshapen, poorly wrapped gift that is waiting for me under the tree. It is from my brother, Honkey Chateau. For the past two years, he has given me hideous lamps. Can't wait to find out what's in store for me this year! If it is minimally offensive and not indecent, perhaps the (unwrapped) gift will be my daily photo for tomorrow. Stay tuned...


...and Merry Christmas!

On the Twenty-Third Day of Christmas

Daily Photo: Virgin Megastore @ Union Square

Raise, raise the song on high,
The Virgin sings her lullaby:
Joy, joy, for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary!

Really loving the hymn "What Child Is This?" this Advent season. An especially nice version can be found on the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, if you were a-wondering.

In other news - I'm a little sick, and a little tired, but I'm home. It's nice to be home. For starters, it's a whole lot warmer than my NYC apartment. I'm only wearing one pair of socks right now! Merry Christmas to me, indeed.

Another 'good thing': the holiday movie marathon has begun. I've watched the second half of "In the Good Old Summertime" (which, despite the title, takes place mostly during the Christmas season) and the first half of "White Christmas." (Who needs to watch the whole movie, when you have them each near-memorized?)

Big day tomorrow, so I best be getting to bed. My bed, my cozy old familiar bed, my "big girl bed" - yes, this bed is old. Which I guess makes me old*, too. :)

*Except that SBG says I'm not getting older, I'm getting more sophisticated. So three cheers for SBG! And sophistication!

On the Twenty-Second Day of Christmas

Daily Photo: Weird light-sculpture thing near Rockefeller Center

It is bitter cold here in New York today. Glove-wearing, hat-wearing, windy, shivering cold. Unfortunately for me, it's also quite cold in my apartment. My landlord controls the heat, and let's just say he's quite... conservative with his temperature control. I am wearing two pairs of socks, 4 layers of shirts, two layers of pants, a scarf and a hat. Inside. My. Apartment. And I'm a still chilly, so I'm clinging to a cup of tea while I pack.

Did I say 'pack'? Yup. It's that time again. But I'm doing quite well tonight: my clothes are already selected and in the suitcase. Now I'm just finishing up odds and ends before calling it a night and crawling under flannel blankets, comforters and quilts.

What 'odds and ends,' you ask? Well, I thought it would be nice to make some Christmas cards for my family. Nothing says "good old-fashioned family Christmas" like hand-made cards featuring "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" quotes, am I right? Here is a little sampling of my work:


What am I thankful for today? I'm thankfully looking forward to a little reunion with old friends, scheduled to happen in a mere 32 hours. So excited to see you girls!

On the Twenty-First Day of Christmas

Daily Photo: Freaky and antique-y on E. Houston St.

I'm coming at ya from beneath a haze of cold medication, so I'm not quite sure what to say, nor how to say it coherently. Bear with me. I'm also listening to Christmas music (what else?), Bing Crosby's "Snowbird" in particular, and the twittering jazz flute in the background has me sufficiently distracted, recalling the jazz flute scene in Will Ferrell's "Anchorman." (What else?)

Distractions and medications aside, it's been a pretty good day. Sure, I had a minor kitchen-related accident this morning (who knew peanut butter could burn like that?), then at church we had no heat nor power which made for one cold hour-and-a-half. Afterwards I fell in a pile of snow (not on purpose) and spent several hours wandering the city in a (mostly) fruitless search for Christmas presents for the fam. But all's well that ends well, and mine ended with good phone conversations and a good dinner.

In other "good things" news, the Lower East Side (or, Loisaida, for my Latino readership) was also good to me today. I got pants hemmed for $6! That's unheard of in this city. What's more - my tailor turned it around same-day, and as this happy customer left his shop, freshly-pressed pants in hand, he said to me, "Ciao, mi amiga!" Friendly service is practically unheard of as well, these days. I dig it.

Now, dig this: Only four days until Christmas! Are you ready?

On the Twentieth Day of Christmas

It snowed yesterday. I do love living in the city when it snows - I don't have to shovel anything, and I don't have to drive anywhere. Today I walked over to Prospect Park and admired its snow-white make-over.

Now I'm back in my apartment, and as I write these words, I'm wrapped in a virtual 'good things' blanket.

I'm sitting at the desk in my writing room, with a cup of coffee and cute candles burning...

...out my window I see fellow Brooklynites running Saturday errands, bundled up and slip-sliding. An electric snowman and Christmas tree are flashing and sparkling in front of the hardware store across the street...

...Martin Sexton is providing the mellow holiday soundtrack for this afternoon...

...I'm remembering my earlier walk through the park, and how good it was to walk slowly in silence, the only sound often being the crunch of snow beneath my feet...

...I'm thinking over the lyrics of well-known hymns and loving Christmas...

It came upon a midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,
From heaven's all-gracious King."
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

Swan Butt Saturday

If you've got it - flaunt it:
A Prospect Park swan shows off his...assets

Some of you may remember that, once upon a time, I decided to take a bunch of pictures of animal butts. Some of you may have been hoping to see more examples of this work on my blog, and if so, this post is for you! Please do enjoy. But don't enjoy it too much, because that would be weird.

On the Nineteenth Day of Christmas

Daily Photo: W. 57th Street lookin' holiday-riffic

A busy week. Monday feels like a year ago, which reminds me of one of my favorite Seinfeld quotes, when Kramer quips on the Merv Griffin set: "El Paso - I spent a month there one night." Ba-dum-bum.

Where was I? Oh right: busy week. Busy month. Busy year. Being busy has been good for me in many respects. But I'm also feeling a deep nagging that a little rest, quiet, and slowness would be good for me as well right about now. Luckily - here I am at Friday! Two days of rest stretching out before me, and I'm looking forward to a little hang-out time with myself. I might take myself on a coffee date. I might nap. I will try to subjugate my To-Do list - remembering that my To-Do list was made for me, and not me for my To-Do list. (I think I read that somewhere...)

Most of all, I'm hoping to spend some time just thinking about what we're celebrating next week. What is this - this Christmas? I want to receive it gratefully. I want to be really shocked at the rudeness of the stable, and really amazed at the goodness of the news. I don't want to rush past it. I want to be a shepherd, sitting on a hill and waiting.

So, wish me luck with my resting and waiting. (Historically I have not been very good at either endeavor.) And I'm wishing for a good weekend for you's!

On the Eighteenth Day of Christmas

Daily Photo(s): Yup, that's a piano on the

N/R/W platform at Union Sq.

I love the music that fills these city streets and subway platforms. Sometimes it even spills on to the trains - and then I watch in awe as those cheerful mariachis wheel their upright bass in and out of the subway cars, staying balanced long enough to play a Spanish guitar-fueled song and pass a hat.

I like the guy that plays steel drums (often at 42nd street). It's nice to get away to Jamaica for a minute in the middle of the day. And then there are the enthusiastic rock/soul bands, mostly younger guys playing trumpets and trombones, with back-and-forth choreographed swaying. (They are usually accompanied by the syncopated oompah-oompah's of a sousaphone, who thinks he's in charge, but I can clearly see the trombones control this beat.)

Tonight on my ride home, I encountered a brave xylophonist plunking out a bossa nova melody. He was pretty good. But even more impressive was this piano player, above. How did he get the piano down the stairs to the platform? Did he wheel it from somewhere nearby in the neighborhood? Or did he and his piano arrive via the subway from Queens?

I had a lot of questions, which all went unanswered. Did I really want to spoil the mystery? No. I wanted to stand there listening to Puccini as Mr. Piano Man took us all on a little trip to Italy. Until the N train arrived - for once - all too soon.

On the Seventeenth Day of Christmas

Daily Photo: The grand-daddy of NYC trees -Rockefeller Center

I do love me some Christmas movies. Don't you? With the exception of "It's a Wonderful Life" (for which I have an inexplicable aversion), I could sit and watch holiday flicks over & over during this time of year.

Some of my favorites include:

"Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" (Old school style - before the untimely passing of Mr. Hooper and long before Elmo started mucking things up.)

"John Denver and the Muppets: Christmas Together" (That Ms. Piggy! What a ham!)

"White Christmas" (I never get tired of this one. It's even better than buttermilk and liverwurst!)

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" (So sweet, and whaddya know - keeps Christ in Christmas!)

"Elf" ("I just like to smile, smiling's my favorite!")

Of course, the perennial favorite is "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." The opening scene, as you may remember, involves the Griswold family trekking out to the middle-of-nowhere to find a tree (nearly as large as that one pictured above) to kick-off their good old-fashioned family Christmas celebration. With the bar set absurdly high, expectations aren't met, wacky hijinks ensue, and the threshold of lunacy is crossed one fateful Christmas Eve.

I typically watch N.L.C.V. each Christmas morning. And though I have the dialogue pretty well memorized, the jokes and gags no longer new, you better believe I still find this movie to be gosh-darn down-right *hilarious.* In fact, as I was reading through some movie quotes online just now, I was having trouble supressing my laughter. Laughter-to-the-point-of-tears is a rarity here amongst my beige cubicle walls (normally I just skip right to the tears). So I'm recognizing N.L.C.V. as my 'good thing' for today. Here are some quotes for you to laugh-til-you-cry at:

Ellen Griswold: “I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery.”

Clark Griswold: “Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?”

Cousin Eddie: "Yeah, I got the daughter in the clinic, getting cured off the Wild Turkey. And, the older boy, bless his soul, is preparing for his career."
Clark: "College?"
Eddie: "Carnival."
Clark: "You got to be proud."
Eddie: "Oh, yeah. Yeah, last season he was a pixie-dust spreader on the Tilt-O-Whirl. He thinks that maybe next year, he'll be guessing people's weight or barking for the Yak woman. You ever see her?"
Clark: "No."
Eddie: "She's got these big horns growing right out above her ears. Yeah, she's ugly as sin, but a sweet gal. And, a hell of a good cook."

On the Sixteenth Day of Christmas

Daily Photo: Jazz Man on the F-train platform

My parents recently re-did their living room. The new ficus tree and paint colors received a lot of conversation time over Thanksgiving. My brother's and my high-school senior portraits had been taken down during the redecorating process and I asked my mom when they would be re-hung. She grimaced. "Oh, those were 12 years old, Kris. I think it's time," she said. Then proceeded to outline her plans to replace them with chosen prints from her recent travels. I see where the love is.

I remember what that room looked like, long before those portraits were taken. Long before the teenage angst set in. Back in the days of yore: my childhood. Picture green shag carpeting, dark paneled walls, and a TV console the size of a small Buick. Oh yes - and an 8-track machine.

I especially remember the ol' 8-track machine around Christmas-time, churning out all the classics (Bing, Perry, Nat, Mel, and of course, Frank). The sound of their voices today still harkens me back to childhood, and green shag carpet, and cookies before knowledge of calories, and a time in my life where the thing I wanted most (except for maybe a pony) could be found on the pages of the J.C. Penny catalogue and wrapped up in a box under the Christmas tree.

Ah, youth. Anyways, I'm thankful for my merry Christmas memories, and thankful they can still be conjured by those timeless classic Christmas songs, if no longer on an 8-track than on an iPod. Oh yeah, I'm also thankful for my iPod.

On the Fifteenth Day of Christmas

Daily Photo: Look familiar to you '30 Rock' fans?

I was brave tonight, folks. I'm not going to spell out the specifics here, but take my word for it: brave. And then what happened? Well, I felt just a little bit proud of myself!

The 'good thing' that I want to highlight in this post is the notion of Boldery!, a.k.a. my MO for the past few months. I've been stretching and straining to do things that scare me, difficult things that don't come easily, pushing beyond the boundaries of my comfort zone. It hasn't always been fun. But I know it's a 'good thing.' I'm learning things about myself, out here in the beyond-comfort zone, that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. I'm (slowly) gaining confidence. I'm (warily) embracing the possibility of utter failure while still trying anyway. I'm baby-stepping towards Boldery!

It's growth. It's progress. It's difficult - especially for a girl who likes to play it safe, who typically does the bare minimum required to pass. It's tackling hard stuff because that's the only way up the mountain, and I'm tired of lolly-gagging in the valley.

A special thanks to my Boldery! cheer-leaders (you know who you are!) I couldn't have baby-stepped this far without you.

On the Fourteenth Day of Christmas

Daily Photo: Park Street Church, Boston, MA

Just returned from my weekend in Boston. It was a sweet time spent with old friends, most of whom I first met among those pews you see in the photo above. So great to reconnect, dance, share meals, share news, and just share space with them this weekend.

Bonus Daily Photo: Looking west on Comm. Ave.

On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas

Daily Photo #13: The Decked Walls of Sak's 5th Avenue

I'm safely ensconced in a friendship cocoon up in Boston this weekend. And so my "daily" photo, above, was not actually taken today. You're looking at The Big Apple, circa Thursday. I'll give you a window on Beantown when I get back, but for now - here are some of the "good things" I'm soaking up today:

-Waking up cozy on the notorious hide-a-bed, just as MZB arrived to make us all b'fast

-Bacon, bacon, bacon for brunch

-Laughing, laughing, laughing easily

-That Michael Bolton dance party I've been looking forward to ("Girl, that's why I wrote you this song...")

-Four words: Rum Cake Bake-Off (!!!!)

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

Daily December Pic #12: Frank among Family Fotos

I suppose it's no secret around these parts that I have an affinity for one Mr. Frank Sinatra.

I wish I could tell you just why I'm such an avid, rabid fanatic for all things Frank. But I'm not quite sure, myself. If forced to put a finger on it, I guess I would say that Frank has a certain...je ne sais quoi that makes me...je ne sais pas. Hopefully that sheds some light on the situation for you.

What I do know is that whenever I catch an earful of his crooning, my face lights up. An involuntary happiness tic: I could be grumpy and grousing, but when I hear Frank's voice that all gets pushed aside for a moment. I take a deep breath. I smile. Frank just makes me happy.

So today on December 12th, though he is ten years gone now, I want to broadcast a very "Happy Birthday, Frank!" Here's looking at you, kid.

On the 11th Day of Christmas

Daily December Photo #11: Cartier - Gift Wrapped

It's raining in New York today. Like, really raining. Rivulets running down sidewalks and soaking your socks. Wading pools form curbside, owing to poor drainage, but when I leap over them I pretend I am executing a graceful, perfect-10, figure skating move. I always stick my landings. While holding an umbrella! Brian Boitano, with his "tano lutz," ain't got nothing on me.

I would like to say more on this, touting my imaginary skating prowess, but I have things to do. Namely, packing. I'm heading out of town tomorrow, so I best get to putting things in a bag. But you know my track record. And the night is still young (not quite midnight even!) I think I'll put on a pot of coffee and make a holiday mix-cd now...

On the Tenth Day of Christmas

Strings of lights at the Union Square Market

There are good days, and there are bad days. On the bad days, you remember your mother telling you that "God won't give you more than you can handle, Kris."

(And then you remember that you were lying on the living room floor, moaning, the last time you heard her say this, and that when you asked if there was any whiskey to be had, your mother had said, "No, we don't have any of the 'hard stuff.' But we have some dessert sherry - would that help?" And you said "no" because 'hard stuff' seemed necessary to wash down the hard emotional stuff you were choking on at the moment, and the very idea of dessert sherry seemed to mock your pain. And you vowed to bring some whiskey home, the next time you came home for the holidays, because holidays are rough. And then you let your mother make you a left-over turkey sandwich, because that seemed to make her happy. And when in doubt - eat turkey.)

But I digress.

What I'm getting at here is that my mom is often right. Not necessarily about the efficacy of dessert sherry, and certainly not necessarily about my hair-style, but about other things, yes. And she is right about God not giving me more than I can handle. Sometimes (such as when I'm lying on the living room floor) a statement like that feels cliche; a platitude I've heard once too many times before. "True, fine, yes, whatever," lying-on-the-floor-Kristy thinks.

But it is true, isn't it? I had to stop and recognize the truthiness of it tonight, when proverbial insult was added to (still raw) injury and my first instinct was to lift my eyes and ask, "Are ya kidding me with this, right now, God?" But then I caught myself and thought through the facts.

Fact #1: If this incident had happened last week, I wouldn't have been able to deal. It truly would have been more than I could handle then. So I acknowledge, and am thankful, for God's wise and protective timing.

Fact #2: I wasn't left alone in this. I acknowledge, and am super-thankful, that God gives me friends to turn to, and sympathetic ears to speak to, and hands to hold. I am so very aware of Providential friendships in my life, and deeply thankful for them.

There are good days, and there are bad days. But I'm trying to trust that all my days are arranged just so by One who knows what He's doing.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas

Holiday display - 5th Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn

How many pictures of lit Christmas trees can I post here on this site? Probably a lot. There are trees all over this city; the public plaza next to my office building is filled with at least 30 trees of varying heights. Our building has not one, but two, gigantic trees decorating the lobby. They are quite lovely, these office trees, outfitted with bronze and champagne-colored ornaments and ribbons. Bronze and champagne are, as you probably know, the traditional colors of this season, representing... um, I have no idea what they represent, actually.

And while I'm admitting ignorance, did you notice that error I made in the preceding paragraph? I used the C word! Christmas. Very uncouth of me. The tree in the Daily December photo above is not actually a Christmas tree. It's a Holiday Tree. (Note that the lighted display to the right of the tree is a menorah - not a generic candle-holder. Maybe the word "menorah" is not as offensive or exclusionary as the word "Christmas"?)

I guess I could get all bent out of shape about the banishment of Christmas from the public sphere, but that wouldn't be in keeping with my recent theme of thanksgiving. Also, I just don't really care that much. Whaddya think about that, public sphere? You can string up ornaments in every color but red and green. You can wish me "Seasons Greetings!" You can mask any possible religious reference with the all-inclusive word "holiday." It's fine by me.

Because the true heralds of Christmas remain untouched and unchanged. They're old, old, thousands of years old. Older than candy canes. Older than the 1950's-era snowflake decorations hanging on the lamp-post outside my window. Older than red and green wreaths, older than angels on trees. And they're my "good things" that I'm choosing to be thankful for today.

I'm thankful that I have the words of the Old Testament prophets, who sang 'Christmas is coming!' so long ago. I'm not putting up a Christmas tree this year, and the way things are going I probably won't get around to sending out Christmas cards*, but these ancient and relevant prophetic words are helping me prepare for, and welcome, the season in a different way.

"Comfort, comfort my people...prepare the way for the Lord...and the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it." (from Isaiah 40)

“Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.” (from Psalm 24)

"The Lord will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us)." (from Isaiah 7)

*Now, don't get me wrong - I like a pretty Christmas/Holiday tree as much as the next person. And I like Christmas cards, Christmas lights, and you know I like Christmas cookies. It's just that these verses give me chills in a way that the traditional green-and-red trappings can't quite compare.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas...

I got sick. Sniffles, chills, headache and the whole nine yards. On the plus side, I am totally rockin' a sexy phlegm voice.

Daily Photo: Tea and me and tissues make three, tonight.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas

Daily December Photo #7: carol-singing and

tree-lighting, Park Avenue @ 91st

I'm tuckered and still-chilled from a good winter weekend. We had our first snow fall last night! CynD and I walked between falling flakes on our way to a neighborly holiday party.

This morning I trekked first to the West Village for church, then headed downtown for coffee, before dashing to see a movie in Murray Hill (with Bond's blue eyes, who needs plot?). Also, whoever does not agree that Diet Coke, Twizzlers and popcorn make the perfect lunch is wrong. Just wrong.

After the movie, A-D and I caught up on life while riding the 6-train north to the old 'hood. Made my second Starbucks trip of the day to grab some warmth in a cup, before heading to the 64th Annual Park Avenue Tree-Lighting festivities. A thousand+ fellow onlookers and I sang carols before the big to-do: a switch flipped and trees illuminated up and down the avenue.

Located a friend in the crowd; I had some papers to give her related to a writing project. Six blocks and six flights of stairs later we were settled in her cozy apartment with chamomile tea, and I soaked up some of her life wisdom.

Then it was back out into the cold. Under the river and through the tunnel to Brooklyn. Back into the cold, or rather, the ice-box that is my apartment. My "good things" thoughts right now are trending towards warm socks and lottsa quilts & covers - thankful for the last 24 hours of fun that make me (almost) ready to face another Monday.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas

I love to drink
Coffee at Think
Right on the brink
of West 4th Street.

Thanks, BethE for a great wintery afternoon!

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

...I decorated. Check out my new 'Will Ferrell, as Buddy the Elf, Getting Attacked by a Raccoon He Tried to Hug' desktop:

Doesn't that just make your day? Mine, too. Another thing that makes my day is sitting just beyond those beige cubicle walls you see in today's December Daily photo. Well, perhaps I shouldn't refer to her as a "thing." She is a human being, after all. Nonetheless, she is my "good thing" to be thankful for today. She is a co-worker. And she is Dutch.

She moved into that neighboring cubicle a few weeks ago. I don't really know her, beyond the "good morning" pleasantries we occasionally exchange. So why am I thankful for her presence? Because she often makes personal phone calls. In Dutch!

I love the Dutch language. Sure, it has a lot of gutteral sounds and doesn't exactly flow like French, no fire like Italian. But hearing it reminds me of my year spent in Amsterdam, which was months of magic and adventure. And it reminds me of my Dutch friends, my feeble attempts to speak their language, canals and bridges, brown-walled cafes and stroopwafels.

And now, at least once a day, these pleasant associations are conjured up in the midst of my beige & boring work-week existence, whenever I hear this co-worker start speaking those familiar "naturlijk," "dat is leuk" and "wat seg je?" phrases. I love it. For a moment, alles goed.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas

No struggle today as to what to give thanks for - Thursday mornings always leave me feeling deeply grateful for the community God has given me.

I left my apartment building at 6:20am, locking three (3) doors on the way out. (The number of locked doors standing between my apartment and the street is very important to my mother. She quizzed me about it once over Thanksgiving weekend, and then once again, apparently just to see if my story was consistent.)

The sky hung soft and grey over Brooklyn this morning. A diner on the next block was open but empty, one lone employee standing behind the counter and looking sleepy. As I approached the entrance to the subway, the lights of the F and G trains moved slowly over the bridge in the distance ahead. I caught the D train; the floor was sticky and the guy sitting next to me reeked of smoke. I exited at Rockefeller Center, headed above ground for some fresh air, crossed the street and entered our cozy Cosi.

This is where we meet for bible study every Thursday, 7a.m. Tucked in at a back corner table, most weeks we are the only customers sitting in the place. The Cosi staff knows us now; one nice lady has begun making my bagel order each week before I even have to ask. In a city of 8+ million people, it's nice to be known (even if only as "Cranberry-Orange w/lite cream cheese" girl).

But at the back corner table, I'm known even beyond my bagel preferences. And I am so thankful for these sweet girls, who continue to listen to my prayer requests week after week, long after I had begun to feel like a broken record. These girls who check in with me, who email me bible verses to remind me of what is truer than my daily emotions. Who encourage me with their faith and wisdom. Who allow me to share in their struggles and successes. My Thursday mornings are a very good thing because of them.

Daily Photo #4: Sonja's and my feet,
underneath our table this morning.

On the Third Day of Christmas

Today on my lunch break, as I left my office building and walked a few blocks north, I mentally composed this blog post. The theme was to be: New York Sucks and I Hate It.

Sounds real uplifting, right? You may be curious as to why I feel this way. Well, I'm not going to tell you. Because though the words of that initial blog post were well arranged, the sentiment true, and though I had planned to seamlessly weave in song lyrics and an appropriate amount of pithiness, I realized that it was not at all in keeping with the intended theme of this Daily December blog project. Namely, drumming up "good things" to focus on instead of the bad. Oops. Day Three. Take Two.

Ok, so today's "good thing" theme will be: Lunch Breaks.

Yes, today I'm focusing on the fact that my current job allows for one-hour lunch breaks. I get to leave the building for one whole hour each day!

The reason this is striking me as a good thing to be mindful of (and thankful for) is that I've spent a lot of time over the past few days reminiscing about my previous job. My walk down memory lane was precipitated by the indictment of a former co-worker on embezzlement charges, but that's neither here nor there. The point is that at this prior company, at which I worked for one whole year, I took about four lunch breaks. Four total. In one year. My job there was demanding and stressful, so I worked right through lunch. Assuming I ate lunch at all. The last month I worked there, my diet consisted mainly of iced coffee.

So I'm giving thanks today for my lunch breaks. That I get to take them. That I get to step away from my desk and enter a different world for an hour each day (today I went to Afghanistan, c/o The Kite Runner). And giving thanks that my job, whatever else I could say about it (and I could say a lot, though mostly through tears and with clenched fists), certainly provides a much better work-life balance than I had with my prior employer. And that is a good thing, indeed.

Daily Photo #3: Self-portrait of me on my lunch break, in theMidtown public space where I normally eat, posing in front of the mercury-ball Christmas tree decoration, which never fails to remind me of The Terminator.

On the Second Day of Christmas

Good Thing #2: Today I'm thanking God for my Boston Urban Family, and for bringing four (1, 2, 3, 4!) of them to NYC for recent rendezvous.

Mad-Dog kicked off the festivities back in November, when we debriefed in relief over the election results as we shared this yummy breakfast at Colson Patisserie. She makes me calmer and smarter.



SJT came to town unexpectedly for work the following week, and it was so, SO wonderful to catch up with her over tea. Then Ms. Diesel saved me from my Tuesday-Bluesday last week by being my lunch date at Bunchberries. So comforting and affirming...

And finally, MZB surprised me with a visit today! She told me good news over paninis, and then we strolled up 5th Avenue past Tiffany's, Trump Tower, and Bergdorf Goodman (all wreathe-d and twinkly) on our way to FAO Schwartz. And there we shook hands with a familiar friend, fodder for my 2nd December Daily photo:

Thanks, friends, for bringing the Beantown love! I'll see you on Beacon Street next week, where you can bet there will be a Christmas music dance party. Why? Because 'our love is like a holiday'. :)

On The First Day of Christmas

I set out to take my first Daily December photo while heading home from hip-hop dance class. Have I told you I'm taking a hip-hop class? Because I'm taking a hip-hop class.

Good Thing #1: Having a weekly outlet where I can "stomp it out" to Kanye's "Stronger." Having a teacher who encourages us to "find our groove," while we pop, lock, and bounce. Allowing myself to try something I am (quite frankly) terrible at, and enjoying the challenge.

Before I got on the subway to head to Brooklyn, I took a look back at the spot where the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade had passed just a few days prior.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but the world's largest department store -
decked in holiday cheer.
In 1902 it was built on this ground -
that's how long Macy's been around.
It's even longer "since Prince was on Apollonia"
and longer still "since OJ had Isotoners."
And so dear friends, "don't act like I never told ya."

(Lyrics by K.Wes and K.West)

Macy's, Herald Square
Crappy camera phone & crazy coloring

Decembering Remembering

I'm about to commit to something I don't want to do.

But I read some blogs today - which got me thinking - maybe this is what I need to do right now.

It's Christmas time, and I'm not merry. Rather, I'm hunkered down in the angry elf camp. I'm Elvis' "Blue Christmas" instead of Burl Ives' "Holly Jolly" one. I'm sad. I'm stressed. I'm weary. I'm worried. I'm torn.

And while it's important to acknowledge these feelings, it's also important to be able to look past them. To acknowledge that God is still God - He is still leading me even though I may not feel it. His provision for me is good, even though it's not the picture of good I would have painted for myself.

I don't really want to give assent to that. It's much easier to whine and complain and cry, then to hold out in faith. But I know I need to acknowledge that Christmas is about the gift of my Savior. And to believe, in faith, that this Gift is bigger & better than the other transient gifts I'm aching for.

So that's where I am. Now here's what I want to do - (or rather, don't want to do. Have I mentioned that I don't actually want to do this? :)

First of all, I read on this creative soul's blog a list of "good things" she recognizes in her life. My mind skips right to the negative these days and I know that's a step in the wrong direction. When I do half-heartedly offer up a 'thanks' for a good thing, my mind interrupts with a "Yeah, but..." and reminds me of the bad things. I need to silence those but's. (I don't want to, mind you. But I need to.) So I'm going to commit to identifying some concrete things that are good in my life. Small things, maybe, but I'm going to list them out and thank God for them.

Secondly, I learned about the December Photo Project (thanks, A!), which seemed like it could be a good visual counterpart to my listings & ramblings. Also, those of you who know me know that I need small, easily definable goals in order to succeed at completing any project. And a photo-a-day seems like a small, quantifiable goal to keep me on target, keep me writing. Keep me present, and looking around for those 'good things.'

So here goes, folks. My begrudging attempt at thankfulness and faith and hope. Remembering, in December, that the wait is worth it and the Gift is good. Photo #1 coming at ya soon...